xiv, 299 pages ; 24 cm

When Westerners think of a genie, the first image that comes to mind may be Barbara Eden in her pink harem pants or the illuminated blue buffoon from the animated Disney film Aladdin. But to the people of the Arab and Islamic worlds, the picture is dramatically different. Legends of the Fire Spirits looks beyond Westernized caricatures to immerse the reader in the vibrant lore of the jinn -- the wondrous, often troublesome, and sometimes terrifying spirit beings of ancient Arab and Islamic tradition. Robert Lebling delves into long-lost accounts, medieval histories, colonial records, anthropologistʹs reports, and travelerʹs tales to explore the origin and evolution of legends that continue to thrive in the Middle East and beyond. He cuts through centuries of Orientalistsʹ cultural presumption to craft a study that stands apart from the overwhelming body of literature concerned with religion in the Middle East

Originally published in hardcover: London : I.B. Tauris & Co., 2010

Includes bibliographical references (pages 289-295) and index

Introduction: the nature of jinn --- Origins --- Historical encounters --- By their deeds: jinn behaviour --- Jinn geography ---- Appendix A: Edward Lane's notes on the jinn --- Appendix B: Muhammad Asad on the jinn --- Appendix C : Jinn physics

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